IN PHOTOS: Dale Steyn's top 5 picks ahead of ICC World Cup 2023

Hours ahead of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 opener, South Africa's former fast bowler Dale Steyn picks his top 5 bowlers to watch out for at the ICC World Cup 2023 (Pic: ICC/File)

Updated On: 2023-10-05 12:37 PM IST

Compiled by : Sujay Shivalkar

Dale Steyn (Pic: ICC)

South Africa's former pace bowler Dale Steyn is known for his sheer pace and for maintaining consistency throughout his career. He was the top-ranked bowler in tests for 2343 days. No other bowler is even close to his record. He kept entertaining the cricketing world with his fast bowling for 16 years and announced his retirement from all formats on 31 August 2021

Dale Steyn picked Trent Boult at number 1 spot. He says, 'At no.1 I have Trent Boult. I've been a big fan of Trent Boult for many years. I love the way that Kane Williamson uses him. He allows him to run in and bowl with the new ball for an extended period of time. He doesn't take him off after two or three overs, which allows him to get into a bit of rhythm and when there is something happening with that new ball, he always tends to pick up a couple of wickets'

Steyn's second pick is Mohammed Siraj. 'At no.2 I have Mohammed Siraj from India. he's come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. india really rely on him to get them off to a good start. He's got great skill, can swing the ball away, can nip it back in when he wants to and he's a really good death bowler. I think he couples well with all the other bowlers that India have. I think he's one of the main guys that I'm going to look out for from an Indian point of view for this World Cup' says Dale Steyn

Shaheen Afridi is the third pick by Dale Steyn. 'He is a phenomenal bowler, especially with the new ball at the start of the innings. He's big, he's fast, bowls with that left arm of his and he's able to take wickets. He targets those stumps. he can pick up wickets with the new ball in the powerplay. Really break up the game for Pakistan when they need it', Steyn on Afridi

The fourth bowler picked by the speedster is Kagiso Rabada. Steyn says, 'He's just the main bowler for the South African line-up and with Anrich Nortje not being here, South Africa are going to rely heavily on somebody like him. He's experienced, he's been around the world, he's played a lot of cricket here in India, especially during IPL. Has a knack for taking wickets all the time and he's just a crafty bowler'

Mark Wood is the fifth bowler picked by Dale Steyn. 'I've really been impressed by this man. He bowls with extreme pace. I think England can use him at times when they're looking for wickets and they don't really worry about something like his economy rate. they really want him to break through and get them those wickets that they want. So I've got a keen eye on Mark Wood throughout this tournament'

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